Babies and Bloomington

Agh....I become very aware of how far behind I have gotten in the last two weeks!  But, alas, I do have good excuses!   

I got to go home last week!  YAY!  I know, I know, many of you are asking, "Again?"  But, Miss Julia graduated from college, so I HAD to make the trip.  And, of course, along the way, I got to make a few pit stops!

First, I got to have breakfast with Cha (MaryAnne) and her gorgeous daughter, Emma!  And, I got Miss Emma's 9 month pictures and she is PERFECT in every way!! Wouldn't you agree?  

And, of course it wouldn't be a trip home without a new pair of shoes!  Cha and I had to make a trip to DSW!  Thank goodness for my friends and their love for shoes!!  Here is the pair I ended up with.  If you need a pair of your own you can find them here:  Canvas Pump (in lots of different colors)!

Alright, now back to the true nature of my trip, Julia's GRADUATION!  The weekend felt like a whirlwind, but I got to see a lot of my family which was so nice to help cure some of the homesickness I have living in southern Alabama.  Julia has yet to share all of the pictures from graduation, but here is the one I managed to snag!  Bloomington was fabulous, as always, and the rain managed to taper off by the end of afternoon graduation.  And, yes, she managed to "bedazzle" the entire top of her cap:)

  I will add the others as soon as I get them!  

And, of course, Sunday was Mother's Day and I got to spend the day with my very own, FABULOUS mom, Susan!  She makes my whole world better:) 

This is all I have to leave you with on this dreary Sunday!  Preview for my next post:  I hunted all over for OPI's newest collection and finally snagged it!

Just when I feel...

like there isn't a thing in the world I can do right, something always shines though the gloom.  Yesterday was just one of those days.  I was driving 13 hours home, I didn't get enough done before I left, and I was TIRED!  But then it came, my shining moment when I realized I was going to make it, in an email.  And, for some, this email would have meant nothing.  For the "retired" teacher in me, it meant that even though I can't reach a whole classroom full of students, I have the ability to reach one.

For those of you that didn't know, I have been tutoring a little girl in Alabama.  We'll call her Petunia (for her privacy and because I love the name but, I KNOW Adam will never agree to naming a child this).  Petunia has been so bummed about math and her "A" level work dropping to a "B".  Her attitude was beginning to be seen in her work and that is why her mom called me.  Petunia and I have been "hanging out" for the past few weeks and every week I make it my goal to pull one of those "teacher-only" tricks or tools out of the bag!  She has absolutely loved it!  Week after week we see a little improvement here and there, but yesterday in the midst of my FUNK, I got an email from Petunia's mom.  Here is what that email said:

"Hello Ms. Erin! Ms. Petunia would like to report that she received an "A" on the Math (written) test today, as well as, an "A" for oral.  We are ecstatic! Thank you so very much for all you are doing to engage her and helping her to succeed."

First, I love this because only in the South does EVERY child you meet call you Miss (insert name here).  And, to Ms. Petunia and her mom, I bet they think I made their day.   Little do they know, they made mine!  I remembered what it felt like to see the light bulb go off in a child's head or what it felt like to have a parent appreciate your HARD work.  And, mostly, it reminded me that I am good at a lot of things, they just might not be the things I need to be good at now.  But, for Ms. Petunia, my skills are effectively in place!

I leave you with this, remember that you could be someone's shining moment today without evening knowing it...to Ms. Petunia, you are fabulous!

So excited to learn something new...

So, I had to boast a little today because I, with the help of Mrs. Kate Nierengarten, managed to figure out how to add a spectacular header and background.  It took some exploring, and quite a bit of playing, to find a design that I loved, but I found it!  I don't know that I love the font selection for the header, but I will keep playing with it...is it too hard to read???

I figured this was a good place to start as I learn to have a fabulous blog.  But, it doesn't hold a candle to Kate's blog...so, if you are bored...check out her's, plus she has this "to die for adorable" little girl, Grace!
http://babynierengartendiaries.blogspot.com/  One day, I hope mine it as spectacular as her's!  Love you Momma Katie!